Tag Archives: Jason Aldean

Brian Kelley, left, and Tyler Hubbard, center, of musical group Florida Georgia Line accept the single of the year award for "Cruise" onstage at the American Country Awards at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, in Las Vegas. (Photo: Frank Micelotta / Invision / AP)

Brian Kelley of the country duo Florida Georgia Line capped off a year full of awards and breaking records by marrying his girlfriend Brittney Marie Cole at an intimate ceremony in Nashville.

The wedding on Monday was first reported by People magazine. The band's publicist said the ceremony included just 40 guests at sunset, followed by a reception at Kelley's 32-acre property.

Kelley and Tyler Hubbard have been riding a wave of success from their debut album, "Here's To The Good Times," which brought them multiple music awards and nominations this year. Their smash rap-country remix of "Cruise" with Nelly set a record for weeks atop the country singles chart.

They are on tour with Jason Aldean next year along with their own headlining shows.

Country newcomer Kacey Musgraves and multiplatinum-selling country crossover Taylor Swift emerged as the top Nashville nominees when the Recording Academy announced nominations for its 56th annual Grammy Awards on Friday night, many of which were revealed during a live television concert on CBS. Jay Z tops overall nominations with nine.

Nashville’s Musgraves and Swift each had four nominations. They also tied for the top nominee for November’s CMA Awards.

LL Cool J hosted the show, which took place in Nashville in 2012 but this year returned to Los Angeles. Friday night’s show featured Swift and fellow Nashvillians Keith Urban and Ed Sheeran.

Tim McGraw is honored by Dwight Yoakam during CMT's Artists of the Year ceremony at Music City Center Tuesday. Click the picture above to see more photos from the show. (photo: Rick Diamond / Getty Images for CMT)

Comedian Ron White hosted the show, which aired live from Nashville’s Music City Center on the network and included a host of fellow entertainers honoring the superstars for their chart-topping work.

This year, the list was chosen based on radio airplay, touring numbers, sales and video streams.

Dwight Yoakam kicked off the evening’s first presentation, which went to McGraw. Yoakam said McGraw “demonstrated a willingness to risk everything” and that “year after year and decade after decade, he won the game.”

“The new artists that are coming along are making great music,” McGraw said from the stage while accepting his award. “The other four or five artists, I guess, that I’m here with tonight, that’s what keeps me going and that’s what inspires me to make music. They teach me something every time I see them on tour. ... Every time I spend a few minutes sitting and talking with somebody, every time I hear one of their records, it inspires me to go back in the studio and make better records and get better at what I do and get better at my craft.”

Instead of having another artist sing a song of theirs, Brian Kelly and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line opted to perform their new single “Stay,” and afterward, Country Music Hall of Famers Alabama presented the duo with its trophy.

Before the show, Alabama singer Randy Owen said “the neat part” for the group is that Florida Georgia Line reminds the members of themselves in their early days.

“We were kind of disliked by more traditional people but really loved by the new kids on the block,” Owen said. “If they keep their act together, and they already are huge, but they’ll have an incredible career.”

“I look around the room tonight and the one word that comes to mind is respect,” Aldean said. “I see guys I grew up idolizing and playing their songs in clubs. It’s really cool to be part of this fraternity … and country music is one of the coolest things in the world.”

Hayes performed his song “I Want Crazy” as well as a duet with Pat Monahan from Train on “Hey, Soul Sister.”

Frampton presented Hayes with the CMT award calling him “a great musician with a great career ahead of him.” The 22-year-old looked star-struck.

“That just happened,” he said when Frampton left the stage. “I live (music), I breathe it. It’s all I do, and looking out at this group of people, it’s pretty stunning.”

Lionel Richie stands with honoree Luke Bryan and his wife, Caroline, on the red carpet of the the fourth annual CMT Artists of the Year ceremony. Click the picture above to see more photos from the red carpet. (photo: Karen Kraft / The Tennessean)

Dierks Bentley introduced Bryan who kissed the back of wife Caroline’s head before he walked to the stage.

“My cheeks are cramping, I’ve smiled all night,” Bryan said. “It’s just been an amazing, amazing night to sit back here and enjoy the music and see what each artist is bringing to the fans.”

He also joked about one of his most popular body parts: “It’s about a butt,” he said. “I never intended my butt to get this much attention. I’ll have to start exercising more.”

Bryan closed the show dueting with Lionel Richie on “All Night Long.” The men danced and sang their way through the crowd and colorful lights blinked in the background as the credits rolled.

Jason Aldean joins Alabama on stage at the Ryman Auditorium Monday. Click the photo to see more pictures from the band's second sold-out night at Ryman Auditorium. (photo: Alan Poizner)

If you couldn't get a ticket to one of Alabama's two sold-out concerts at Ryman Auditorium earlier this month, here's the next best thing: highlights from one of those shows will be seen on a new TV concert special, "Alabama & Friends," premiering next Wednesday, Nov. 27 on Great American Country.

Further evidence that contemporary country is just '90s pop-rock with a twist: Two '90s radio favorites -- Sheryl Crow and Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker are the first two performers announced for next month's American Country Awards (Dec. 10, 8 p.m. ET/PT, Fox).

The song they'll sing hasn't been announced, but Crow appears on a ballad called "Love Without You" on Rucker's "True Believers" album.

Good Morning America’s live street party on CMA morning featuring Luke Bryan and GMA host and Country music fan Robin Roberts, who is also presenting at the CMA. (Click the photo to see a gallery of images from the GMA live street party) Photo: Shelley Mays/The Tennessean

There was some booty shaking, music making and a whole lot of photo taking this morning as country music star and three-time CMA Awards nominee Luke Bryan performed live for Good Morning America outside Bridgestone Arena.

Hundreds of fans packed the plaza well before sunrise for an opportunity to see Bryan and Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts on stage in Nashville in advance of tonight’s CMA Awards.

“There’s a lot of magic in this city,” Bryan told Roberts on air, saying people move here and “fall in love with the dream of being a big ol’ country singer."

Click here for a photo gallery from Tuesday's 61st annual BMI Country Awards show. Shown here are Hunter Hayes, center, and Troy Verges, right, who won Song of the Year honors for "Wanted" during the awards show in Nashville. (Photo: Steven S. Harman/The Tennessean)

Rodney Clawson, who co-wrote several of the past year’s radio hits, is performing rights organization BMI’s 2013 songwriter of the year.

Clawson, who gave up farming in Texas to come to Nashville at the urging of friend John Rich, moved to Nashville 10 years ago. Since then, he has written 11 No. 1 country songs.

“It’s been cool to see what’s happened with his career,” Aldean said. “He’s written some big songs for us, like ‘Amarillo Sky’ and ‘Johnny Cash.’ I think it makes a song great when someone who is writing it has lived the songs. Rodney writes songs that are believable because he has lived them.”

Hunter Hayes’ “Wanted,” a chart-topping, Grammy-nominated song co-written by Hayes and Troy Verges, won the Song of the Year award.

Jason Aldean joins Alabama on stage at the Ryman Auditorium Monday. Click the photo to see more pictures from the band's second sold-out show at Ryman Auditorium. (photo: Alan Poizner)

Nashville is even more stocked with stars than normal this week. The CMA Awards show is the center, with a constellation of events clustered around it.

Alabama’s second sold-out night headlining Ryman Auditorium on Monday pulled in its share of those artists as Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook were joined on stage by performers on the new album “Alabama & Friends.”

Jason Aldean came out on the second song of the night for “Tennessee River.”

“I’m nervous, I’m excited,” Trisha Yearwood said before singing “Forever’s as Far as I’ll Go” and after hugging each of the three Alabama members.

After the song, Owen asked her to stay for another. Her reply: “I know all of ’em. What else you got?”, followed by, “This is what I look like freaked out. I’m freaked out right now.”

She and Owen then sang hit “Lady Down on Love,” which Kenny Chesney covered on the album tribute to the Country Music Hall of Famer band.

The artists had picked out their favorite Alabama hits to perform for the tribute album, which was released in August and also features Alabama’s first new country songs in about 10 years. Sunday's concert was taped for a Nov. 27 airing on Great American Country.